2015 NFL Mock Draft

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers will have a decision to make come draft day between Mariota and Winston. Winston is the more refined quarterback and has the highest floor. Tampa Bay will have to hope the off-field issues do not carry over from his time at Florida State. He also had trouble with interceptions this year as he seemed to force the ball a little more this year. However, with Winston’s live arm and accuracy, he has all the makings of a franchise quarterback.

The Titans have a decision to make whether Zach Mettenberger is the answer at quarterback of the future or not. With Mariota or Winston on the board they will have the opportunity to have a possible quarterback of the future. However, they could take the best player in the draft with Leonard Williams. Leonard Williams would be an instant impact player on the Titans 3-4 defense as a five technique.

It is too early to turnaround on the Blake Bortles experiment, so the Jaguars need to continue to build their young team. Jacksonville needs another pass rusher to pair along with the 33 year old Chris Clemmons. Dante Fowler shows elite rush ability on the edge and has a great motor. Fowler would fit in their system well as a good 4-3 defensive end.

The Raiders are in desperate need for a number one wide receiver. James Jones, their top wide receiver last year, only had 666 yards. Amari Cooper has the potential to be the number one guy in Oakland. Cooper is extremely quick off the line and has great hands. The additional threat would be great for Derek Carr and this Oakland Raiders offense.

Washington needs to find a replacement for Brian Orakpo who looks like he will be gone in free agency. Randy Gregory would be an excellent pair with Ryan Kerrigan in Washington’s 3-4 defense. Gregory is extremely long and an excellent pass rusher. He would be an Outside Linebacker in Washington’s system.

This is the dream scenario for the New York Jets.. The Geno Smith experiment has not worked out and the Jets are looking for their next franchise quarterback. Mariota has all the talent to be a starting NFL quarterback and is the most dangerous runner I have scouted. He is extremely accurate and shows great arm strength. Mariota would be a great start for new head coach Todd Bowles.

This might be too early for Landon Collins, but the Bears are desperate for safety help. Landon Collins would be an instant upgrade over the current starters Ryan Mundy and Chris Conte. This safety class isn’t spectacular either so there’s no guarantee the Bears will find a starter in rounds 2-7. Here the Bears fill a major need with an instant impact starter.

The Atlanta Falcons were tied for second to last as a team in sacks last year. Shane Ray gives the Falcons an edge rusher that they so desperately need. Shane Ray is a freak athlete and will instantly improve the Falcons pass rush. At times he struggles to disengage from blockers in the run game, but has very rare pass rushing traits that will translate nicely to the NFL.

The Giants have struggled on the offensive line both in pass protection and the run game. It is already known around the Giants organization that there will be many changes on the offensive line. Brandon Scherff is an excellent run blocker and shows a very violent punch. He played left tackle at Iowa, but I believe he will be a better interior lineman at the next level. Scherff gives the Giants an instant upgrade on the interior line for Eli Manning.

St. Louis is excellent in their front seven on defense. Where they need to improve is their secondary. Trae Waynes is excellent in coverage showing very good change of direction. The best part of his game for me is excellent technical skills when the ball is in the air. He is not the most physical corner, but will excel in man coverage at the next level.

The Vikings offensive line struggled this year and needs to be a priority in the draft. In the last draft Minnesota found their franchise quarterback in Teddy Bridgewater, now it is their job to upgrade the offensive line for him. Ereck Flowers gives the Vikings a future young left tackle. He shows good athleticism and is very good at getting to the second level in the run game. Flowers could become an excellent tackle for Bridgewater and the Vikings.

Cleveland has to make it a priority to get a number one wide receiver in this draft after learning that Josh Gordon is facing another suspension. Miles Austin and Andrew Hawkins are more complimentary wide receivers than number one. Cleveland would be thrilled if Kevin White was still available when they choose. Kevin White had a tremendous, breakout year and is a big target at the next level. He has great hands and plays with a tremendous catch radius.

The New Orleans Saints defense this past year was dreadful. They ranked 31st in Total Defense and really struggled in all aspects. The Saints and Rob Ryan need someone in the middle to help anchor this defense. Danny Shelton would be an excellent nose tackle in the Saints 3-4 defense. Shelton moves excellent for his size and shows great power. Shelton would be a great for the saints pass rush and as a run stopper.

The Dolphins get a potential all star linebacker with this pick. Thompson shows unbelievable athleticism and football instincts. Along with linebacker he also played running back at Washington. He sometimes struggles to get off blockers, but other than that he is a very good line of scrimmage linebacker.

If one of the top three wide receivers are available for the 49ers at this selection it would be a steal. Devante Parker is a tall wide receiver who has excellent ball skills. He has very strong hands and is extremely athletic after the catch. San Francisco needs another wide receiver threat for an aging Anquan Boldin and Michael Crabtree. Parker would be an excellent wide receiver for Kaepernick and the 49ers offense.

The Texans get a great offensive lineman here in La’el Collins. Collins is a premium road grader that will excel in the run game. He upgrades the Texans offensive line right away. I believe Collins is this years Zach Martin. He could start at offensive guard, but will ultimately become a projection to be moved to offensive tackle. At worst Collins will be a very good NFL offensive guard.

San Diego Chargers current starting nose tackle is Sean Lissemore. Jordan Phillips would be an upgrade over this and could possibly develop to be a Franchise 3-4 nose tackle for the Chargers. Phillips shows good power and athleticism. Phillips shows the key traits to be a NFL defensive lineman even though he has only one full season of starting. The potential defensive line for San Diego of Kendall Reyes, Corey Liuget and Jordan Phillips sounds pretty good for the Chargers future.

The Chiefs are still waiting for former number one Eric Fisher to live up to his number one draft selection. The Chiefs are also currently very thin at offensive tackle. Andrus Peat has the potential to be a franchise left tackle in the league and can develop in Kansas City. Hopefully Fisher puts it together so the Chiefs will have two excellent offensive tackles.

The Cleveland Browns took care of their wide receiver need with their first pick and now chooses a impact defensive lineman. He has the ability to play nose tackle in their 3-4 defense and could be an upgrade over Ahtyba Rubin. Goldman had a very big impact this year at Florida State as a very disruptive defensive lineman. He could do the same things with the Browns.

The Eagles number one need in this draft is at cornerback. The Eagles need to find another option other than Bradley Fletcher and Cary Williams. Marcus Peters has some off the field baggage as he was kicked of the Washington team half way through this year. Peters would help the Eagles secondary with his good quickness and change of direction.

Beasley is very light, but has been a great pass rusher the past two years at Clemson. Cincinatti struggled to get pressure on the quarterback finishing last in the NFL with only 20 sacks this past season. A big part of this is the loss of Michael Johnson as another pass rusher to Carlos Dunlap. Beasley would give them another pass rusher they lacked last season.

22

Alvin Dupree

DE

Kentucky

6’4″

267

The Steelers got so thin at Outside Linebacker last year that they had to bring James Harrison out of retirement. Alvin “Bud” Dupree is a tremendous pass rusher that can come in right away and make an impact for the Steelers. Dupree shows good athleticism and pass rush ability to help out the Steelers thin Outside Linebacker group.

23

Arik Armstead

DT

Oregon

6’8″

290

This all hinges on if Ndamakong Suh leaves the Lions. If he does, the Lions should make it a priority to draft one. Arik Armstead has top ten potential talent, but at times plays inconsistently. He will totally dominate an offensive guard, but then have a stringof plays where he is nowhere to be seen. At 6’8″ 290, Armstead has elite size and athleticism. If he puts it all together and plays consistently, the Lions would have a great young defensive tackle to step in for Suh.

The Cardinals offense was dreadful last year mostly to due with a lack of a quarterback. There is not a quarterback worthy of this selection though so another offensive weapon would be perfect. The Cardinals would have a tough choice to make between Gordon and the health risk of Gurley. Gordon would be an instant impact player for this Cardinals offense and would be a nice compliment with Andre Ellington. The Cardinals have the defense to win now, but they need play makers on offense to spark production.

Carolina never really found a long term replacement for Jordan Gross after he retired. It will be important for the Panthers to improve at offensive tackle in the draft. TJ Clemmings is a work in progress at tackle as he has only played the position for two years after starting his career at defensive line. He is excellent in run blocking and shows excellent power to move defensive lineman. He will need to improve in pass protection as he is still very raw in his technique. He has all the tools to eventually become a starting tackle, but he will be a project.

26

Devin Funchess

TE/WR

Michigan

6’5″

250

Baltimore needs more offensive weapons for Joe Flacco. Torrey Smith could leave in free agency and Steve Smith is not getting any younger. Along with that, Dennis Pitta has struggled to stay healthy at the tight end position. Devin Funchess would give the Ravens another receiving threat that new offensive coordinator Marc Trestman can get creative with. Funchess can play wide receiver and has the size to be a receiving tight end. Funchess has the ability to be featured in many different formations in the Ravens offense.

The Cowboys had an excellent resurgence on defense during the 2014 season after being dreadful the year before. Rod Marinelli did a great job getting production out of a defense that has a lack of star power. Malcom Brown would be an excellent addition to a Cowboy defensive line that lacks depth and impact players. Brown was very disruptive at Texas and excelled at shedding blocks. He is very quick pass rusher and run stopper who led Texas with 6.5 Sacks and 15 Tackles for Loss. Malcom Brown would be an excellent fit in Rod Marinelli’s 4-3 Defense as a 3-technique Defensive Tackle.

28

D.J. Humphries

OT

Florida

6’5″

307

The Broncos offensive line needs a makeover. Last year the offensive line was very inconsistent and Gary Kubiak will look to improve the offensive line. Look for the Broncos to take an interior offensive lineman along with a tackle. D.J. Humphries would give the Broncos a very good tackle with good movement skills. Humphries played this past season a little light at only 290 pounds, but has since put on weight. He was a top recruit out of high school and has started since he was a freshman. His top football could be ahead of him and I believe could start right away in Gary Kubiak’s zone blocking scheme.

The Colts do need a pass rusher in this draft, but Todd Gurley to talented to pass on. The Trent Richardson experiment in Indianapolis seems to be over and it doesn’t look like there is a talented enough running back on the roster to be the number one guy. If not for the ACL injury Gurley would be a top of the half, first round guy. Gurley shows a rare blend of size, strength and speed that only comes around every once in awhile. Indianapolis here takes the best player available and has the combination of Luck and Gurley for years to come.

30

Denzel Perryman

ILB

Miami

5’11”

242

Green Bay’s biggest need in the draft is an inside linebacker. AJ Hawk is 31 years old and there isn’t another stud inside linebacker on the roster. It was evident in the playoff game against Marshawn Lynch and the Seahawks run game that they need a run stopping linebacker. The Packers have a choice between Denzel Perryman and Bernardrick McKinney as two run stopping inside linebackers. Perryman is extremely agressive and very athletic. He is a little shorter for a linebacker, but plays with good power. He is the big hitting inside linebacker that the Packers need in their defense.

31

Maxx Williams

TE

Minnesota

6’4″

250

The Seahawks do not have a reliable tight end on their roster. They spent most of their playoff run with only 2 tight ends on their roster. Maxx Williams is a very athletic tight end that is also a good blocker. He would be a very good catching threat that Russell Wilson and the Seahawks need.

The Patriots need another receiving threat for the offense. Their biggest threats on the wide receiving core are shorter wide receivers like Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola. Jaelen Strong is a bigger wide receiver with very good hands and is able to win one on one battles. Along with being 6’4″ he has good speed and will be able to stretch the field vertically. Strong would be an excellent addition to Gronkowski and Edelman on the Patriots offense.

13 thoughts on “2015 NFL Mock Draft”

I agree it would be tough to pass on Danny Shelton there, but Kevin White is a top ten talent. I actually rate Kevin White a little bit above Danny Shelton and think Cleveland gets an instant play maker on their receiving core. I do agree with you though that Shelton would be a very good pick as well.

I live in Jax, & from listening to the radio play-by-play announcer’s show, I think they might be inclined to take Fowler over Gregory–but not over Williams.
I love Denzel Perryman; whoever drafts him is getting an old-school thumper, but he is not a three-down ‘backer at this point.

Totally agree that if Leonard WIlliams is there for the Jags he is the pick. I also prefer Dante Fowler to Gregory in Jacksonville’s 4-3 system. Fowler is better against the run and to me the better player. I think the Jaguars would be thrilled to have Fowler who has demonstrated during his time at Florida to be a great edge rusher and defensive end.